


Time Beats

by milquetoasti



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe - K/DA (League of Legends), True Damage (league of legends)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-15 17:48:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21257195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milquetoasti/pseuds/milquetoasti
Summary: Ekko, an aspiring musician, struggles with getting his foot in the door of the music industry. He's given the opportunity to get noticed by the #1 leading all-girls group, K/DA, who are dominating the charts globally. Despite getting a head start, things start to get hectic, but there's one thing he's got the advantage of over everyone else: the ability to manipulate time.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> * This is being written before most of the lore is posted, so there may be continuity errors on my part.

The ambience of a roaring night echoes throughout the whole town. Something big is happening. Faint music lingers in suspense similar to being underwater; a consistent jumble of noise with a hint of awe that lures visitors.

It was one of those events that one just couldn't miss out on. Especially if you're all in on seeing who's the next big competition, which, of course, was me. K/DA. That's them. They're in. A single group that dominated the world and even got some galactic recognition. Galactic recognition. Like really. Aliens were avoiding us for god know's how long but finally they came out and said some bizarre shit like, "hey, this music is straight bumpin', keep making more!"

I imagine aliens wouldn't be so old fashion, but I guess it beats them saying, "this music is the bees knees!" 

Tonight was the night to see what these girls were like. I made my way through the streets. No grandiose entry to go see them, just keeping my energy to myself. I like to think being authentic is better than renting a limo you can't afford to go see some girls singing about being yourself with the friends who won't call you again for another seven months until they need you again. Heavy.

No, I went as myself. It's rough out here, and I made that pretty clear with my presence. The jacket's oversized, tucking away my wrinkled black shirt with the etched in logo that I made myself. My pants fit fine, but I got into a couple of scuffles to show off some deep tears along the knees and ankles. Shoes? Big and bold. Just black with some gold dazzle into them, though I'm not fooling anyone. They're not made to be impressive, just a good polish. I like to keep my hair wild but somewhat tame since I always get them shaved down at the sides. Right now, my hair is an eyesore. Pure white in an all black attire; it's like I'm trying to make a statement.

I keep my headphones on, listening to a couple of beats that people have shared online. The smaller, underground groups of people that vie for attention. I give it. Maybe that'll be karma for my own sake, who knows. A couple of people notice me while I walk towards the concert. It's either a head nod, a high five or a short exchange of words. I have time to chat, but I don't like the rush to waste any of it. Time gets to you, and I've been had a lot of times to know not to mess around with what time gives me.

There's a sort of high I'm getting off to as I approach closer to the concert. Naturally that's probably just excitement, but it isn't really like that. There's an assortment of happenings that are just clouding my senses. It feels impactful despite drowning myself in my music. A clutter of people, all embroidered with flamboyant colors and accessories that speak volumes about their obsession in material things, speak about little nothings. The food trucks that pave the way forward bring their conversations about them, sizzling and fresh. The aroma from them make me want to stop by, but I choose to keep going. 

I've reached a part of the way to where I make a sharp turn. The beat gets a bit heavy, and I think about what works and what didn't work. I "rewrite" the music in my fingers, tapping to something better than the music blaring into my skull. I kept going before making a few more turns and finally into this hidden area, away from everyone. I reached up to a door, knocked a couple of times and got a response from a little slit in the door. We exchanged familiarities, and I popped a piece of paper through the hole. The stranger behind the door opened up and allowed me inside. The walls were littered with garbage, just names of nobodies with more scratched out names of past lovers and crushes. There were even numbers to call. It was the typical graffiti one could find anywhere, but it had less charm to them.

There were very people in these halls, but they were mostly chatting with a drink in hand. Almost no one really. I saw a few go up, disappearing around the corner. 

Up the stairs before me was the shining peak. The lights overhead was reaching out to the stars, and there was the sound of a crowd cheering. The closer I got on my way up, the more I got the jitters. I dug into my pocket in one hand and the other was pulling my headset down.

It was like my time itself wanted me to get the perfect entrance. As my headset came off, the closer my footsteps got to me in, and finally the whole scene, it came full force to my senses. A blur of emotions, overwhelming. 

The lights exploded with intensity. The crowd was vibrant in both spirit and appearance. All the way ahead were the four members dancing on stage. I was up in a secluded section that was both a good view but far off sight. There was a relatively medium sized audience around me, cheering. Some were even doing the dance moves that was being displayed on the big screens nearest to the stage.

I couldn't help myself but chuckle at seeing the energy all around. I moved up to a metal railing and leaned against it, taking in the view. There were faint glimmers of purple as one of the dancers came forward.

Kai'sa.

She stepped up, ready to steal her audience's gaze with what her body could do. It was precise and perfectly performed. The choreography presumed with or without the others, but Kai'sa had to remain. Her head jerked with her performance. Her body was swaying. Kai'sa relaxed her movements to show off a spirit that was wild. The way she moved her hands to her side and back, enveloping herself in a short hug before getting down to a crouch. She spreads out her hands before spreading out her legs in a flash then back up. Her hair flipped back as a seal; there was no more looking away.

She brought the rest of the crew forward. The first to come up with her was Evelynn, who tipped Kai'sa's chin up with a seductive touch of her nail. Her nails were like daggers. Evelynn pressed up to Kai'sa, almost for a kiss, before smoothly swiping her body off and towards the audience. She then sang her verse. Her movement wasn't as gripping as Kai'sa, but she did work it out. Kai'sa isn't as much eye candy as Evelynn is, however. 

When her verse ended, she disappeared in a rush hush of smoke. No. She turned into her demonic form, allowing for another entrance. In that smoke appeared Akali. To my trained eye, though, Akali had use some of her smoke screen to rush into Evelynn's smoke, making it seem that she just suddenly appeared like a magic trick.

These girls couldn't fool me.

Akali didn't dance. She performed for the raps. Her hands moved like any other rapper in the game, but she was spitting harder. At least, spitting harder than most. She was confident in herself, and that was dangerous. She was near naked on that stage, but there was so much body paint that she started looking like an ancient sculpture. It was pure but deadly, looking at her. Even gazing into her cold eyes was something else. They glowed brighter than the others.

When she finished, Eve and Akali stepped aside. And voilà, there she was. The final member, Ahri. The girls were amazing, but they made sure that Ahri carried. Her voice was soothing like a caress from your crush that you could never get to date. A tease that you can never grasp. Ahri's voice is sweet but just as threatening as the others; a voice you couldn't resist. It was as rich as temptation. 

She brought the girls altogether like glue when she got to the chorus. The girls were in a straight line, timing their movements with each other. They complimented each other in their looks and pacing, almost like how me and my afterimages when we do a choreography. I dig it, but at the same time, I have to realize what this means for me. 

I rip my gaze from them to move back. I push through the crowd that suddenly came up behind me and went down the stairs. I took my time as I moved further down the hall. The low sound of the concert rings in my ears. I don't dig the sound that strongly, but the energy gets me to the root. 

After all, it's good to respect competition. It's hard, though, when everyone's wrapped around their finger tips. The hallway is long and lonely. The people way behind me start to look small, but I don't really pay attention either way. I miss having a group, but I've been by myself for a long time now. It's kind of lucky for me that I even get this chance.

As I make my way toward the center of attention, there's another entry way that leads to the concert. A much more closer scoop on them. I go up there to check it out, but I'm not surprised. It's packed. I can't even squeeze my way through the overbearing crowd. The closer to the stage, the crazier the individuals. People do whatever they can to get that high on life. 

I go back, start walking down the hall again. The walls now start to look cleaner, but there's an odd smell lingering around. It's not as dim here as it was before. It feels like I've been walking forever. 

I reach near the end but make another turn before reaching there. I knock a couple of times before getting an answer. Someone opens the slit in the door, looking up and down on me. I pass in another piece of paper through the hole, and they let me inside. It's a complete change of scenery. The person behind the door doesn't say or do anything, but you can tell they're rather annoyed that I even showed up. 

I shrug my shoulders, push my hands down my pockets and keep walking. No one talks in this city, and no one really knows how to get around. The place is littered with secret entrances and expensive oddities. All about who you know, not what you know for this kind of thing. Fortunate for me, I know who and what to know in this city. 

I go over to another set of halls before reaching a commotion of people. They're busy with themselves, and I know some of them are just making sure the concert goes okay. I wait awhile when no one's paying attention to me. I don't look like I belong here, but they're too focused on the big picture. 

Finally the music above quiets even more, and there is an uproar of cheering in the distance. I hear off in the distance of heels clicking on the floor. I'm leaning against the wall and decide to pull myself up, making my way over.

There are guards with them, of course. They come into view first. The first one I get to see is Evelynn. She's already on her phone, and by the looks of her expression, she's hunting. Then came in Kai'sa, who looks over herself and is lost in thought. Both of them don't even notice me at all. I get to Ahri, and we practically lock eyes at each other. She's confused but not disoriented. We don't say anything in that second, but she then looks away and tosses me her shoes.

"Could you put those away for me? My feet are killing me." 

Ahri doesn't even hesitate or ask for anything else. She's already wearing another set of shoes, but these are some killer heels. I caught her shoes out of reflex, but it only annoyed me. Next came in was Akali, who didn't even look at me either. 

"Hey, look, I'm not working for you guys," I yell out, letting the shoes dangle in my hand. I reach over to get Akali's attention, but she's way ahead of me. She snatches my wrist out of her own reflex, sturdy grip but not one that wants to pick a fight. I look at her calmly and just watch for what she says. A guard comes in close but Akali brushes him away, giving him a look of annoyance. 

"Yeah? Then who are you?"

"Ekko."

"Never heard of you."

"You're about to."

This mildly entertains Akali as she lets out this cheeky little laugh before clearing her throat. 

"Sorry, I shouldn't be rude to fans." 

"I'm not a fan, but I'd like to get to know you guys more anyway." 

"Oh? Not a fan, huh?" 

Akali's absence starts to settle in with the other girls as Kai'sa pokes her head out of the door that's nearby. She tells something to the guard close to her and gets right next to Akali's side almost in a flash. 

"A fan? I thought our meet and greet was over with?"

Eve comes up out of nowhere on the other side of Akali. I hadn't noticed before because I was geared towards listening to Kai'sa in that few seconds that she spoke. 

"He says he's not a fan but came to see us. For what was it?" Akali crosses her arms, eyeing him. Eve looks less involved than either of them. "You can wait to see us like everybody else," Eve hisses and waves her hand at me.

"I'm just here for some friendly competition, ight? I'm my own musician, and I just wanted to make myself known to the big league. I got sent here by-"

"By who?"

Ahri's voice chimes in as she divides the group apart to make an entry. 

"By Qiyanna. You know, the girl that's-"

"Oh man, that girl got booked for some collab design with Louis Vuitton," Eve interrupts. "I heard she's just getting started in the industry, making a debut possibly." 

"A debut in fashion?" Kai'sa asks, their gaze meet each other's now.

"No, like she's a singer."

"Oh, okay, so what does she have to do with-"

"Yes, that Qiyanna. You guys showed interest in my sound at one point. Y'know that viral video from Zaun? The one with the-"

"Right! The music video with the killer graffiti and light effects. That was you rapping, huh?" Akali looks impressed by this realization. "What editing software did you use to make the lights follow your body like that?" 

The girls nod after realizing too. There's a faint glimmer of recognition now.

Ah, ha. A buddy of mine probably did it in Premare Pro. But anyway, so she gave me this recommendation and pass note to get in here exclusively just so I can meet y'all face to face 

"She can do that?" Kai'sa asks.

"So, I'm here. I'm as good as I sound on those tracks right here in person." 

"What exactly are you asking out of us from that?"

"Just want you to know I'm all game."

"Do you want to join us or something?"

"No, no, nothing like that. I don't care what it is. A collab, a diss track on me to get me going at ya, whatever. I want you to know I'm here for ya or here to get ya."

"I doubt you want bad publicity from us, kid," Ahri threatens, putting her hands on her hips. 

"Not really a want for that kind of thing, but I'm not one to beg for the right attention."

"Then what do you call this?" 

"An offer. Look, like I said, I'm my own man. I'm trying to get my name out there, and nothing gets you by in life by just throwing a track out there and hope for something to happen."

The girls look at each other, exchanging looks. They don't bite, but it doesn't take me off guard.

"You liked my music, and that means potential to me. We could make something big. Better to say that I did than to flop, y'know?"

Ahri steps forward to me and presses a finger to my chest. "Don't get cocky just because you took one little step higher than everyone else. Your name isn't around on the map, therefore you're not on our radar. What makes you think that we'd even go through the trouble for some...," she trails off, looking me over. 

In her eyes, there was a hint of judgement, but she wasn't judging my appearance. She knew what I was, but she didn't have the nerve to lowball. I stare at her with just as much caution as she does. I don't smack her hand away because, in the end, I do want her attention. Ahri may be tough to take a hit, but she's not the rough type like back home. It'll blind her judgement if we press forward.

Eve scoffs and starts walking back. She's lost. With the sway of her hips and the curling of her nails, talking to her at any point would just go out the other ear. Kai'sa also looks unconvinced, but she's a bit more conflicted. On one hand, I know she's thinking that this is a waste of time. On the other hand, it's not like Ahri to give someone their time. 

In the end, she's not buying. She walks back with Eve with her arms crossed, her head lowered in thought. 

"I'm only asking here for you guys to think about it, ight? Pulling up some talent from the down low is good publicity, you know? You've heard my tracks. I can come up to your level." 

"This isn't just something we put together just like that," Ahri snaps with her fingers in my face. "Yeah, we heard you. And yeah, we've talked about you. But we only liked one song. How do we know you're not just some one hit? Going through all the effort for a maybe. Besides, Akali's got it down with the raps. Unless you changed your style or-"

"That ain't happening," I start; this time I'm cutting her off. "I'm selling myself with the offer. My work is me."

She sighs, waving me off. 

"It's been a long night, and it's not like me to raise my voice this way. We're done here." Ahri finishes off, walking back with the others as her tails droop down in exhaustion. 

I take a deep breath and let out a quick sigh. Just shooting my shot. That's all this is. I lost three votes here, but I'm not done yet. 

Akali hasn't left yet, and she's eyeing me like a hawk. Her eyes are glowing despite the bright surroundings; her body paint isn't glowing to match her eyes. "Got anything for me? I'm all ears," I tell her, putting my hands into my pockets again. 

"I liked your style. I like you. Ahri may not really be the adventurous type in music, but that doesn't mean I'm not." Akali pushes her hair back with her nails, showing exhaustion as well. "You hear something good, you have to grab it, y'know? Never know what's going to happen." 

"Right, exactly. So you feel me?"

"I feel you," Akali nods then comes up close to me.

"But I am busy around here. A lot is going on for me right now, and if anything, I need some time to work things up or get the girls involved." She looks over to the room with a soft glare, knowing.

"That ain't happening as of right now."

"Just say the word. What are you looking for out of me to be worth the time?"

Akali turns back and eyes me some more. "You get your name out there like everyone else. You climb. We're not going to carry your voice; you have to carry your talent." With a swift motion, she starts heading back to the girls as well. "Make our heads turn again, then I'll see what we can do." 

Bam. 

I walk out of there so fast my head feels like it's going to burst. I have a lot of ideas racing in my head, and I'm just brimming with purpose. It isn't much to work with, but it's a start. 

The night is calmer, but many people are still around enjoying themselves. I walk along a crowd to get back home, but I smoothly maneuver through majority of it. I make a quick turn into an alleyway and press on into the night. 

Things are looking my way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After meeting with K/DA, Ekko takes some time to figure out his next big move. With no luck on getting a reply back from Qiyana, he tries to make ends meet in the mean time. Until he gets an unexpected call from someone in his past, giving him another window of opportunity to work with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Hi! Chapter 2 incoming. I've decided to make this fanfic piece as my NaNoWriMo (kind of) this year. I'm mostly just dedicated to writing a whole piece for the first time. It's also my first time dedicating myself to a fanfic, so I hope that I stay motivated in the process. I've been super stocked on writing this and next chapter while I was at work the last two days, so here is chapter 2 all finished. ♡

Nothing happens for the next couple of days after meeting up with K/DA. My body is readjusting to the routine of everyday as I settle in at home. 

I hit up Qiyana by text as I got back home to see what she was up to and to thank her for what she did for me. However, Qiyana doesn't get back to me. In fact, a whole week went by and no word. I expect that from her. At least she didn't leave me on read. Qiyana is the type of girl to text, "hi, hru?" then never reply until a month later with "I'm good too. I just finished this new show I got into," like nothing happened. We were cool, but I didn't know her too personally. I struggled to think of whether she was that self-absorbed or just unreliable. Either way, I don't expect too much.

The days pile up, but I start getting low on cash. Not only do I need to keep up with my subscriptions, but I need to fix up my Zero-Drive. 

Zero-Drive was a device I invented myself when I was a kid. I tinkered with it day in and out until finally it could control a fraction of time. Being 17 now, I've been exercising how much and for how long I can use it. Lately, at max, my afterimages stay for a solid 30 seconds thus I can go back to where I was 30 seconds ago. Trying to reach a whole minute is exhausting and wears down Zero-Drive a lot. Pushing it takes up the chance that it'll break down on me, so exercising it for that long usually happens in situations that are really urgent. 

Not many people know about Zero-Drive, and those who do, usually don't believe me when I say I invented a time reversing device. It's either a sham or a joke. Not that it matters to me what they think.

I decided to be bold about it and take it with me during the music video. I used the afterimages to give myself more edge along with body paint and quirky backdrops that artists have made for the shoot. The track I used was one I prepared for a good month in advance. I wanted it all to be perfect.

Well, you could say I made it perfect. Whenever something didn't sit right with me or someone did something wrong, I used Zero-Drive to fix it. I mumbled my words 4 times during the shoot and accidentally said "spit on a milf" when people were recording for something for room tone. I don't know why they needed room tone, and I don't want to talk about why I said that. 

People loved it. The video reached to a million views after a week being posted. I was surprised at how many thirst comments I got on the video, but whatever works. Most things that come out of Zaun don't do well on the internet. Mostly because people don't really have access to it anyway. 

During the shoot, though, someone was tampering with it when I went to look over the footage. I took my eyes off it for a good five seconds and started to feel weird. My afterimages were staggering and eventually zipped into me. It fell from the guy's hand, and some of the bits from it got smashed. The room was spinning, and if I could describe the feeling time was giving me for being careless, it would be similar to a glitch and a tightening feeling to my chest. 

I took Zero-Drive away and excused myself out. We were done anyway. 

Despite taking it everywhere with me, I was prohibited from taking it with me when I went to go see the girls regardless. Obvious reasons, I've used it in fights, and the caution is necessary. The girls may have bodyguards with them, but in truth, they don't really need them. It's for show.

Nothing's confirmed obviously since they're doing fine and well, but there was a lot of controversy before the made it big about each of them individually. The charges and allegations stopped after POP/STARS was released.

After a week passed, I started working on small projects. I did a couple of tracks for people as commissions. I enjoy doing 2-3 minute tracks and have even sent a score to a short film. It roughly makes me 500 gold but most of it ends up going to food and hygiene products.

When commission work is slow, I travel over to the richer side of town and do some tutoring for kids. Before I used to get my afterimages to go over some things that maybe a kid missed out on while I was teaching. I would ramble a lot about the different ways one could do math, but in doing so, I forget kids usually just learn it one way. They get lost in my words but when the afterimages go through the steps one more time, they start to put the pieces together. 

It's always kind of funny watching their faces slowly descend into confusion as their eyes droop or they silently stare at the same problem. Their pencils stay in place, and there's no sign of understanding. 

Even if that doesn't sustain me, I start to do repairs. Most of the time people try to lowball me or hide what's broken in their devices, whether it be phones, TVs, computers or appliances. I usually start looking over the equipment in a fast manner, searching for everything that could need fixing. They offer me, let's say 50 gold, and I mostly suggest 200 gold. 

Most of the time they get angry and start yelling at me. I usually use Zero-Drive several times before coming up with a charismatic pitch offer that matches what the customer wants to hear.

"You got a little glitch in your eDrive, did you know that?" 

"No, I had no idea." 

"Well, since one of your apps won't disable off your home page, damaged eDrive, slow response time, and overheating issues, I can settle to repair all that in the next 10 minutes for just 350 gold. How about it?"

"You can tell all that just by looking at it that quickly?"

"I'm a professional, sir. It's my business to give you the best service."

"That sounds pretty good to me."

They're all common problems, sure, but the everyday folks around here don't know that much about technology. That is the newer versions of technology that's been expanding over to our side. Everyday folks could figure out a lot about other inventions that come up from the streets, but they can't figure out the worldwide branches of technology that reach here.

\- - -

After three weeks passed, there was a night I came home after getting some pizza. I dropped it down at my desk, littered with notebooks, music sheets, CDs and books. The light only shines over a section of the room, so it's placed nearest to my bed and desk. The soft glow from the computer is still on then I move my mouse to wake it up. 

I jump into my seat; it spins around for me to the right direction of my desk. There's some stuff on here I have to clean, but I don't worry about it too much. My drink from earlier is still here, so I take a sip and check over my social media for a bit, seeing if anything new is happening.

K/DA is still up on the news boards with another record breaker. They've been streamed nonstop for three weeks now. 

Suddenly a ringing sound comes up from my computer. Mildly confused, I look for the source. It takes me a minute, but when I do, it just startles me again. 

Oh. I answer.

See, I've mentioned before that K/DA has some galactic attention. And, well, so do I. It's just not from my music, and as far as I know, it's only one person.

"Helloooo. Did ya miss me?" That's Jinx. An old flame. Sort of. She's from here but went out to explore space because she was bored. Her words, not mine. She thinks blowing up Piltover is the same kind of excitement as playing chutes and ladders, so she's trying to find the best thing the universe has to offer. The last I had heard from her was when she was first getting off the ground. That was probably a year or two ago.

"Hey, Jinx. Long time, no see."

"Yeaaah. I lose track of time a lot out here."

"You lost track of time even while you were here."

Jinx makes a _pssh_ sound and rests her head on her hand. 

"Whatever! Being on a super duper cool space ship makes me forget about going back home. I blew up some monster guts yesterday! It was so cool; you should've seen the look on their face! And don't get me started on the larva pods where I placed some dynamite in this one lady monster's-"

"Jinx. Did you call me just to talk about blowing things up?"

"What else would I call you for?"

"True. But it's been a hot minute."

"Yeah, yeah. The bozos I'm with don't always make great conversation. Badass on the field, but they tune me out after awhile. Say, you look a little different. Did you cut your hair? No, bleached it? No, no, don't tell me. You gained some weight!"

"Nothing's changed, Jinx. You're tripping," I say, brushing my hand over my hair to pull it back.

"Okay, well, as I was saying. I have two really awesome shipmates, but they're not exactly always interested in what I have to say. Our captain is actually working on something, but he won't tell me. Can you believe that?"

"Uh-huh," I take a sip of my drink and push her video cam to the side so I can scroll through my feed.

"And so, we're on this mission that involves getting this girl away from this cool villain guy."

"...Yeah."

"And so I figured I'd make a call to someone I knew before I go insane from being bored. We've done NOTHING for a whole day! A day! I'm going to die out here," she slumps back into her chair, leaning her head back in despair.

"That sounds awful," I mumble to her, still scrolling.

"Believe me, it is. It sucks staying in one place, you know what I mean?"

I look at her for a second; my hand covering of my lips now as I nod. "Yeah, I feel like that way too a lot of times down here."

"Going to space was one of my best decisions, Ekko. It's more open than what Runeterra gave me. I can break the rules, create havoc and get paid for doing it. It's been a wild ride." She's looking out a window next to her in pure awe, almost like she's have a wonderful daydream.

I nod, looking at her. I somewhat don't want to break her thought; I've never seen her so at peace before. She's so animated and crazy; there was never a moment where she just sat still unless she was going to sleep. She's wide awake, and a whole galaxy was in her eyes.

"Sorry, my crew mates don't like to talk about sentimental stuff. I mean, I don't either. But there are some days where I think about it."

"You think about it?"

She laughs. "Shut up. I'm totally capable of thinking."

I begin to notice someone familiar in the background. He walks in behind her with some paperwork but I recognize his hairstyle and just his overall physique. He has his back turned but there was a split second that I saw the side of his face.

"Hey, who's that behind you?"

Jinx turns her head to look back before turning back to me with a sly smirk. "That's our captain. His name is-,"

She gets cut off by the sound of a blaring alarm; it nearly makes me want to throw my own headphones down. 

"Shit! Got to go! Something exciting is happening!"

The guy fully turns around towards Jinx, and it all becomes clear. That's Yasuo. Like the Yasuo. He's got legendary beats, but he went off the radar when his career started to get toppled over by the new artists around. He's by no means stale in his craft, but he was never the type to always be in the spotlight. He liked to give that to others. Not to mention, he's an overall fantastic DJ. 

"Your captain is Yasuo?"

"Yeah, I know, he's cool, right? See ya!"

"No, wait!"

And just like that, she's gone. Actually, she cracked her camera. I think she may have busted the whole thing judging by how her hand smacked the back of the computer, causing it to fall off her desk. I saw the ground and Jinx's feet as the video cut. 

I cannot believe her space captain is the one and only Yasuo.

It leaves me with questions and motivates me more. Over the next couple of days, I try to reach her but nothing. Her computer must have been totaled for sure. With two contacts leaving me in the dark, it only leaves me with one option. 

I have to make the opportunity come to me. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * I couldn't accurately describe Kai'sa void skin concerning her Icathian Rain so please don't sue me :((

For the next couple of weeks, I rake up enough cash to fully repair Zero-Drive. In doing so, my afterimages start shaping up more behind me. I do my research and find out that there was a dancing event across town. It was small, but I planned to make it big. Even if it meant crashing it.

There was some sort of signing up situation concerning it, but when did I care about the rules like that? If they didn't like me as soon as I arrived, I have a million chances to make them like it. 

With a pep to my talk and my hands swinging to the beat ringing through my ear, I walk all the way over there. It keeps the vibe going if I keep my head low, minding my business. The streets are bustling with energy, the rush to go somewhere else. 

If not for the music, the sounds all around would make my head spin. There was clanking sounds from dishes nearby at a cafe, simple chatter from those walking past or waiting around for something to happen, even the sound of vehicles. The alleyways were also inhabited with activity; people leaning and conversing with one another. 

When I get close to the event, there's quite a crowd. It was outdoors, and the grim sky just made the place feel more intense than it actually was. It was so lively. A lot were observing and a lot were cheering. There were people screaming for certain moves, betting for certain techniques, just overall wanting more. I tipped my head up to see further out. 

There was a small circle in the middle of the crowd where people were showing off their moves. For now, it seemed like a battle between two punk looking teens. There was swagger in their steps but not a whole lot of punch to it. It looked like the taller one was winning in the fight.

He ends the battle with a backflip and the crowd comes up to him, patting him on the back. The opponent goes back to the crowd. 

For the next couple of minutes, I'm making a move. 

My first attempt at crashing the event was getting in with the DJ. I stole his spot, y'know nothing to reckless just a small push, and yelled into the mic. "What the f$%k is going on, motherf$%kers?" Blaring. The crowd turns to me, and I can feel so many eyes on me. Of course, that doesn't last long before the DJ comes and tackles me. 

I pull on Zero-Drive and go more than the normal few seconds. I start back to where I'm standing near the DJ. I don't try that again, but it was fun.

In one instance, I just head straight into the circle and push off one of the opponents. They're a lot bigger than me, so I just get punched in the face.

I'm messing around for no reason other than to laugh at how stupid I can be.

I rub my cheek from where they hit me. Despite going back in time, I still feel the pain of the timeline that no longer exists. 

I try multiple things like jumping off from a pole into the circle to borrowing someone's boom box and getting people's attention that way all the way up to start my mocking others to start getting people to make me "prove it to them" that I'm any good. 

In the end, I rewind back to do none of those. Through all my attempts, there's one that caught my attention. 

I go around to another side of the circle and low and behold, I see who was supposed to be the next opponent. 

Kai'sa.

She's dressed out of her usual clothes and has a hood over her head. Somehow people don't really notice her, but she blends too much with the crowd that perhaps no one's paying attention. She slithers around, looking from different angles and keeps her head low. No one else is with her it seems.

By the time the last battle ends, she's told to come on up with her opponent. I rush through the crowd and manage to jump in right next to her. 

"Mind if I crash the party?"

She makes no show of a reaction but simply shakes her head, in which I place my hands on her back and rush us out. She lets out a small gasp as we're going until finally we get into the circle. The other person is confused.

"My friend here said she wanted to battle me instead, if that's okay. I promise you I can go about it good enough to take your spot."

"Oi, that's not part of the rules."

Kai'sa brushes me off, practically pushing me.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kai'sa hisses at me, showing a glimmer of her eyes from under that hood. There's recognition in her eyes, and they're fierce. The kind of fierce that lets one know that you're done for. 

"I just want to have fun with you," I flash her a smile, and she hates it.

The crowd wants us too. They tell the opponent to leave, in which no one intervenes anymore. Kai'sa glares and walks up to me with enough sway that it makes me step back. She pushes me back with her steps, talking to me now with her moves.

She pulls off the hood, and she looks very different. Come to think about it, if you weren't really looking at her, she could pass off as another person. Her overall shape is all there, even her missile launcher, but her face was plastered with make up that gives her a much more intense look. Her hair was also chopped off by a lot, so she had this boyish style to her. Her energy was not K/DA; it was predatory. A dancer with burning passion.

They play a Raggaeton type of song for us and that sets off a different vibe to the crowd. Some are clapping to the music and Kai'sa starts following the motions to what they're clapping to. She's pushing me off, daring me away, as I slide in my steps slowly. Her feet were basically telling me to piss off. 

She switches away from me before dancing for the crowd. It weirds me out that no one's recognizing her, but she's not even paying attention to that. When she's finished, she flashes her body away, doing a twist and launching a single void missile at me. It impacts into my stomach and actually manages to push me back.

She tips her head up like "you're next," and I start going at it. There's no lyrics to what's playing to the track, so I just start rapping a little when my breath allows it. 

_"Movin' too fast, have 'em movin' in slow-mo  
I'm a god, better ask if you don't know."_

Kai'sa edges at me, using her presence to diss me. Her chest protruded out as she makes her arms move out towards me before waving me off.

I keep dancing to the beat, matching the words to the song. The crowd eats it up, even if perhaps they can't exactly hear everything I'm saying. I tap my feet against my hand, bend back and touch the ground and mock around Kai'sa. 

_"I ain't gonna say this again  
But this is my time, better look in my eyes."_

Kai'sa launches two light missiles at me, and it makes me wonder if that's even allowed. They don't hurt but they do feel forceful. It's her turn now, and she's bringing her appeal back to the crowd. They go crazy for her, and she eats it up. She does splits, spins and moves her hands around her face and down to highlight all of her features.

She uses her missile launches to make a heart in the air and steps up her movements. She's flying herself backwards, light streaks following after her and making her move like a light. Her hands start to look like others are touching her as she dances up and down to the ground. 

When she comes back to me, she launches another missile but I "blink" to the side and aim right at her. I push her back and dance close up to her. We're face to face, and she grabs at my shirt only to lunge me back. She fires more missiles at me, and I dodge them all, making them land to the ground. One of them manages to hit me and knock me down, causing laughter to ensue. 

I use Zero-Drive to warp back. When she launches her missiles again, I make sure to dodge them all and evade the one that last hit me. This amuses Kai'sa for a split second until she starts up again. She makes sharp twists of her hips and elbows out, still in sync with the rhythm.

The crowd keeps eating it up until we're back again, finishing each other off with one last step at each other. I'm more out of breath than she is, but she's always so graceful on or off stage. I can tell it's her just by her routine of the body. Even if she changed her whole self, I'd still recognize the talent. Kai'sa had her own signature.

People are shouting for our names, and Kai'sa just walks off. 

I start to shout my name; she shrugs me off. I see some cameras on us; they like the energy. She flees the scene before anyone does catch on to who she is, going through the crowd like nothing. She's off, fast. No one can catch her. 

Before she could even get that far, I use Zero-Drive to backtrack. She's just walking off where I stopped the watch and reach for her arm. She looks back at me, glaring and showing her teeth.

"Back off."

"Not here," I say and rush with her through the crowd. They nearly try to stop us, but Kai'sa isn't letting them. She zooms us away, breaking away from the crowd entirely until we're practically gone. 

We reach a back alley somewhere, and she pushes me into a wall. She has her arm pressed to my neck, and her face is close to mine. 

"Who do you think you are?"

"I'd ask why do you think you are showing up in public like that."

"I can handle myself, thanks."

She presses her arm further into my neck, nearly cutting off my breathing but I don't back out. I pull on Zero-Drive to a couple seconds, right after she says her thanks. When she goes to push, I take the opportunity to grab ahold and push her back into the opposite wall.

"You're not the only one who can be play rough for the spotlight." 

"I don't always want the spotlight," she growls. She launches up some missiles, and I jump back. One of them hits me, and it burns. It hurts worse than before. "Hey, now, let's not getting to hostile."

"You wanted hostile the moment you tried me."

I don't fight her, but she's launching more missiles of light at me. The scent of the void reeks within the air as she keeps launching them. It's a pungent smell that causes the eyes to burn. It's deadly. I "blink" out of the way of them all, even throwing out my timewinder to break some of them. It comes back to me, and I hurl myself to the side, into the street.

We're almost the only ones around, but everyone's too far to really see us. Plus, these missiles don't make much sound. 

"Why are you even trying to fight me, Kai? What gives?"

"You want to piggyback off us so bad, don't you? Let me tell you something, Ekko, I worked hard for my start. I poured my blood, sweat and tears into this routine. Into myself. Into K/DA. What do you get for trying so hard to win my attention? Five seconds of fame?"

I get up to stand in level with her, leaning against a nearby trash can to catch my breath. 

"Kai, with or without you, I'm going places. Whether you help me or not doesn't bug me."

She brushes herself off, looking at me closely but it's not hostile anymore.

Her eyes were tired and distant. She shook her head and disengaged, walking past me. "I don't know what's the deal with you, but there you go. Getting what you want." 

"Why are you out here anyway by yourself?"

She pauses then looks back at me.

"I was alone for so long before all this. The fame. It's hard to adjust sometimes, but I'm working on it." She keeps her eyes ahead and leaves me there. I don't pull her back. I don't take away the moment of vulnerability, even if it wasn't much.

I let her go. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! If you're still with me, thank you so much for sticking around. I just moved into a new apartment, so I hadn't had the time to get myself in the writing mindset. I'm hoping to push this chapter and the next out around the same time as each other, so I hope you enjoy. ♡

Word travels fast just about anywhere now. The locals may not know who Kai'sa was, but the world does. It hits the news quicker than I could actually get home. People give me a stare, not quite sure but a speculation.

I don't remember getting home all that much. I crashed, and I can tell because I'm hanging off the edge of my chair. I hate to admit that I tend to sleep with my mouth open sometimes, and this was one of those moments. I notice that it's daylight out, but not really morning anymore.

I immediately check my phone and see that I got a notification. A coupe of them actually; it's of people tagging me on my social. I swipe my thumb and put in my code, going to the notifications. It's flooded toward this update on K/DA.

I go to check everything they were able to pick up on. There's a small segment about how Kai'sa joined a dancing event without any notice prior. Even the rest of the group seemed out of the loop with what she did.

I tap onto a video of the girls being interviewed, but Kai'sa isn't present. Instead, Ahri and Evelynn are talking in her place. They feign that they knew what she was doing, but I could tell that Kai'sa's appearance outside the group was a decision entirely made by her.

"Sometimes we all need a break from the spotlight, y'know? It's a lot of pressure on us." Her words start to jumble up between knowing what Kai'sa was doing and wanting to cover it up as something she had no knowledge of. It flips back and forth, but no one really pays attention to it. Ahri talks her words out in such a way that seems like she's just playing them around her finger, wringing it around right back at the questions.

She does her little signature sign with her fingers and blows a kiss as she leaves the questions like that. Eve is standing beside her, telling her what she thinks which doesn't provide more information than Ahri. There's no trace of Akali or Kai'sa for that matter at all in the video.

I scroll through the articles and nothing.

I put my phone down for a minute to hop into my chair and look online through my computer. I was on there for only a couple seconds before my phone suddenly rings. My attention was more focused onto reading over the coverage, so in my head, I was thinking I wasn't thinking too much about the call.

No one ever calls me, so whenever I do get a call it's usually someone doing a prank on me. I answer with a weird, old man voice, "no, I didn't call for pizza. Get cho act together and quit yer calling."

"Excuse me?! Do you know who you're talking to? I'll have you know this is no way-"

I hang up and quickly go over to Zero-Drive to rewind everything. 

When the phone rings again, I answer correctly.

"Hey, Qi, what's up? Been a hot minute."

Qiyana finally breaks her silence with a sigh. I hear her shuffling through some things on her end like bags or wrappers. It sounds like she's looking for something.

"Hi, Ekko. You know I get busy around here." 

"Right, right, you always have your hands full."

"Yes, exactly. You know how difficult this is? You would think people would get used to the idea that I'm an important person now, yet when I snap for them to get me something, they don't even move? I ask this one servant of mine like 'oi, go out and buy me a combo meal. I haven't eaten anything all day due to this meeting, and what they have here is too mediocre for my taste.' Y'know what this man said?"

I reply to her rambling for the next couple of minutes with "uh-huh"s and "right"s. Qiyana may go silent on you, but sometimes you have to realize that it's a blessing at times. 

"It's entirely unfortunate of them to not realize the extent of my talent. I made them money just last week. A hundred gran, Ekko. G-r-a-n. Special. Talent. They cannot learn my gift, you see?" Qiyana continues, with this being the last full sentence I actually was able to grasp onto. She sighs, finally content with herself. "I haven't vented in a long time. Two whole weeks, can you believe that? They don't pay me enough for this."

"It's good to hear from you too, Qi. Sounds like an awful time."

"I know, you're welcome."

"You're welcome? For what?"

"For boosting your day's momentum with my voice, of course. After all, I called to tell you that I did hear about what happened yesterday."

It takes me back for a second, but then I realize it's not surprising that she'd know just as quickly as the rest of us did. She's more in the know than I am. There are a lot of times I wish she'd try to collaborate with me so I could really ditch the whole K/DA ordeal. Qiyana has an amazing voice, but she's so wrapped up in her projects that she either sometimes forgets she can have a free will outside of work or forgets that I even exist at times. With what little she is able to spare with me, it's all I can take. I try not to push my ideas on her too much, doing so would just make her talk more. 

"Yeah, what did you hear?"

"I heard that Ahri is livid and absolutely wants to destroy you."

"Wait, what? Where did you get that?"

Something crashes on Qiyana's side, which causes her to yell at them in the most bratty way I can think of. I'm glad I wasn't there. If you get her mad enough, she can act like Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Not a pretty sight. 

"Idiots," she mumbles on the phone, but it was mostly to herself.

"You good, Qi?"

"Yes, yes, I'm always good. Never worse."

"All right. But what were you talking about?"

Qiyana's moving around on her end now. There's a shift in her voice like she's moving to the another room; it sounds like maybe a kitchen.

"A little birdie told me that Ahri is furious with you. She thinks you're trying to mooch off the girls' success and try to take apart the group."

I groan. "This again? That isn't what I told them nor is it even what I'm doing."

"I know. I, too, thought it was really ridiculous, but Ahri has noticed that Kai'sa seems a little more softer to the thought of you now than she did before. Seems like she's warmed up to the idea of working with you since your proposal. Which, by the way, you're welcome for. It took me hours to even get people to say okay to that. You know how expensive and how time went into that to set up a whole meeting-"

I don't say anything, but I feel myself feeling light to the sound of that. I let her talk a bit more before saying thank you. She likes the sound of that and quits her rambling of that subject.

"Anyway, could be a sign of weakness, perhaps? I know for a fact that Ahri hates that idea of being thrown off the top. She loves the spotlight almost as much as I do."

"I don't want to throw her off, Qi. I just want to get myself up there. I'm not looking to shove people off their game. You get me, right? "

"Yes, yes, of course. I understand, but you're not trying to get me to understand, now are you?"

I slouch into my chair with the phone pressed between my ear and shoulder. I place my hands into my pocket, taking a deep breath. 

"This isn't exactly what I wanted to happen," I say to her finally after a small pause.

"Poor little Ekko."

"Don't say it like that."

"Look, listen, I don't have contact to K/DA. I mean, I should because why wouldn't they want to acknowledge me but whatever. Nonetheless, I will try to get some free time with you, okay? You have pretty good moves from what I saw, and I know how you rap and all. Maybe it's about time I stand out there with you too."

I lighten up to her, "Huh? Qiyana? Are you being nice?"

"It's just this once! Don't get used to it. I'm just letting you know right now," she's put something down on a counter like a large box of some kind. "what you just brought out of Ahri can't be pretty. I should know. Ahri has destroyed careers over little things. She's _almost _as strong with her tactics as I am."

"I still don't get what she could be mad at me for. Or even if she is mad at me, at all."

"Oh, don't worry, friend. You'll know." 

And with that, she hangs up. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Happy holidays, everyone ! I wanted this done way sooner, but it's been a rough month and I hope this is enough content for the absence! Think of it as a little Christmas present from me? There's a lot more foul language in this one, so I hope that's not too jarring. In my head, I felt like it fit better with the narrative. Thank you to anyone still keeping up with me. <3

After the phone call with Qiyana, I decided it was probably best to back out from trying to get friendly with K/DA. It seemed more messy and trouble than I originally wanted in the first place. I'm not looking for bad rep. 

For the rest of the night, I start focusing on my music. I start tuning the sounds, making my raps sound crisp and clear on the track. I'd say even if my rap game doesn't take off, I'm pretty confident on my editing. I can make this sound like it came from a big production if I really put in the effort. At times, it can drive you crazy. 

I've seen some old friends of mine get all senile just trying to edit through a few video files. The hot keys and redundancy of the art can really get under people's skin. The audio I was able to capture wasn't easy. Every time I try to record, someone's outside yelling at cars to slow down, the racket of the factories all around, the echoing sound of kids playing and hollering down below from where I'm living at. All noise. No true sound. 

Occasionally I may here someone playing an instrument, but it's soft. Could be a guitar one day or maybe a basic, trash lid to play the drum on. It's in the distance whenever I hear it from top. Normally it happens when everyone's asleep, kind of like the only one I can talk to most nights alone. I never know who the strangers are down below, but we resonate with each other when I start responding back to their notes. They play a tune, and I let my laptop play something back. Same notes, same rhythm. 

Tonight just so happens to be a lucky night again. Someone's playing a harp of some sort. It's rusty at first, as if trying to adjust to a new chords. 

I look to the window beside me while I stop editing for a second. I pull one side of my headphones off my ears to listen carefully. When I hear music again, I get up to lift up the window. I peer down. 

There was no one to be found from what I could tell, but someone was definitely playing. I don't have many tracks with soft sounds, but I try my best to put something together quickly. I slide the speaker out toward the window and let it play down below. 

The person plays back softly as to caress the music I was playing. It's soothing to listen to them playing, makes me think that I don't hear soft sounds very often. Whoever was down there probably won't stay long, I figure. Probably a wanderer. 

My place is barely a home. It's mostly run down, and it feels pretty crowded. It cramps my style, but I can't complain. It's a roof over my head that I can afford on my own. One day I'll be living somewhere worth talking about. For now, I just play along with the stranger down below. It's like a conversation between strangers. Exchanging words through music. 

At times, I can really tell what someone's going through by what they play. For some reason, I can't quite figure out this stranger. They seem sad, yet there's a dark twist to the notes. Maybe they're angry? Something's bothering them, but they don't want me to worry. 

When I play my beats, they play along. Their music dances around mine the same way a parent might follow along after their child. It's compatible but not quite on the same level. My sound is more calm, a way to mellow out. Their sound more story like. An expression to listen. We play for awhile until their sound starts to put me to sleep. It's not boring but a lullaby. I don't remember when the shift happened; my mind starts to trail off. I'm playing the last bits of my song out to the window. 

As the music slowly fades away, my mind quiets down. I feel my fingers slip away from the keyboard, the music dies, and I start to go in and out in a dream. I see someone at the window extending towards me as I'm closing my eyes. I can't make it out. I just think it's part of the dream. 

\- - - 

Next day rolls around. 

I get hit with a text that's blaring into my ear. I passed out at my desk so my head is face down into it. I turn my head to look at my phone. It's Qiyana again.

Qi: Dude! What the hell are you thinking?

My heart races because I have no clue what she's going on about. Did I do something last night? I look over our messages and everything is normal. I didn't send anything risky to anyone, so I'll rule that out. I check my social media, and there's notifications. 

There's a headline that reads: Cocky Rapper Threatens to Overthrow K/DA.

Threaten? Cocky? 

The hell?

I look over the posts and find that there's an audio track linked on one of the articles. I click it to listen, and it starts off with the same sound I was working on last night.

But how?

I look over my actual files and notice things have been rearranged. My files were tampered with. It's not the usual organization that I'm familiar with, but it's clear that there was some knowledge on what goes where. 

The audio is still playing when I'm searching through my projects. I then hear my voice. I hear my rhymes. I hear my flow. But it's wrong. It's all wrong. It sounds like a complete diss. Some of the words aren't even things I would say. It was like listening to someone take out your body. 

It crushes me to hear it. I'm blatantly calling out K/DA. I'm spitting on Kai'sa's and Evelynn's image. I'm mocking Ahri. I'm slandering Akali. 

It all swirls inside my head like a foul odor. Bad moves. Shit singing. Generic. Bland. They did sex work to get where they are now. Nothing I would ever say or think of. This felt like a bad dream. This wasn't my track.

I'm scrolling through posts again, and I read over everyone's comments. 

Cancelled. Douchebag. Garbage. Wish he could be someone. A nobody.

The reason why this even got attention was because it's rolling off the hot news of Kai'sa going undercover for a quick getaway. In fact, her going to that event is still trending. K/DA is just trending all over the place. First Kai'sa, now me, and then there's a schedule of them staying in the area for one more concert. It mentions that it's sort of like charity, but whatever. I don't read into that.

This is a mistake. 

I look over my dms because it's flooded now. There's a mix between them seeing me at the event and others calling me a waste of space. Some dms are telling me to kill myself. Some dms are literally just people going on about how much of a loser I am for even releasing the track. 

I can't wrap my head around it. I call Qiyana, who immediately picks up. She's eating chips, it sounds like.

"Were you trying to shoot yourself in the foot?" She says to me. 

"No. Dude, what the fuck is happening?"

"Wait, you don't know what's going on?" I slap my hand against my thigh in exasperation. "Qi, why the hell would I would do something like this. You might as well tape a sign that says professional dumb of ass on my forehead."

"Well, if it wasn't you then who was it? It's clearly your voice, y'know." 

"I don't know! I was working on that track last night."

"Sounds like some vent there."

"Listen to me, Qi, I didn't say any of that. None of it. Those aren't my words." 

I start to freak out. I can't take the audio down. I have no clue where the original post is in the first place. I look around my usual upload sites and nothing. Zaun's Station. Utunes. Nothing. On my social media, it looks like a lot was deleted. I think it was uploaded then deleted soon after, then the media caught it up before it could disappear completely. 

I look around my room. Nothing's shifted around. It seems like no one was in here at all. "Ok, so it wasn't you. I mean I know you're stupid, but you're not that stupid." I ignore her and keep looking around my room. "So let's think," she eats another chip while muttering, "who could it possibly be? Did you have a friend over?" I'm looking over my written notes and inspirations to only find no clue whatsoever. "No, I'm usually alone when I work on something."

"That sounds very like you," she says with absolute apathy. 

"Qi." 

"Can you think of what happened at all? Someone messed with your track, so who?" I think for a moment on what could have gone wrong. I try to remember last night, but all I could remember was the harp player down below. The harp player.

I bolt out of my room and place the phone pressed against my ear and shoulder. I walk down the stairs to reach the ground floor and walk out toward the direction I remember the music being played. Qiyana is talking in my ear, but I tune her out. I look around the alleyway for the player, but there's no one around. 

I try to think back about what else had happened that night. All I could remember was the dream of someone coming into my room through the window. No, it couldn't have been a dream. 

"Qi, I think I might have an idea." Qiyana makes a "mm" sound, and I can practically feel the nod she's doing over this statement. "Okay, lay it on me. Make it fast, though, I gotta go." I head on back inside when I can't find anyone in the alleyway. "Someone came through my window last night." 

"Huh? Sounds creepy."

"Yeah, for real. But I think whoever came in was the one who tampered with my track. I can't think of anyone else who would gain access to my room." I'm running up the stairs and nearly trip from the rush. "How did they come through without you noticing?" I open the door to my place and get back into my room. "They put me to sleep. Last night, I heard someone play a harp or whatever, and I dozed off. I think it may have been intentional." 

"Huuuh, that's crazy. Do you think you can prove it? Like is there any evidence?" I'm looking around my room again, and sure enough, there's nothing. "No, man, I can't find anything left behind."

I hear Qiyana thinking over there with her hums and bag crinkling. I sit back in my chair and hold the phone to my temple now, drooping my head in thought. "This is some shit, man," I groan. "Listen, do you think maybe someone in K/DA did it?" I bring the phone to my ear now to talk clearly. "You think they'd do something dirty like this?" 

"Hear me out. These girls," she's chewing on another chip, "mean business. I'm betting it's one of them out to ruin you, for sure. The only thing is: who?" I rub my chin and think with her. "Well, if it is one of them, it's gotta be someone with stealth skills or whatever." 

"Ahri ain't the type to do this, so we can cross her out." Qiyana says with confidence. "How you figure?" 

"Because she'd never go out of her way to do something like this. She's the type to give orders or finish a fight. She definitely wouldn't start it. Plus I think she's clumsy with all those ads she did in the past. I've seen behind the scenes footage." 

"All right... then we have Kai'sa." 

"No way. She's hiding herself after what happened, I'm sure. I don't think she started the beef. Did someone not like you when you went to go see them?"

In my head, I thought of the two remaining. Akali didn't seem to be mad at me. She's got a lot of slick motions, definitely a stealth type. However, I really don't see her doing anything like this. The pieces didn't line up with me to make me think she'd want to do something like this, especially after she told me she wanted to see more of me. 

"Then I can only think of Evelynn."

"Oooh, Evelynn's dirty. She's had some pretty bad breakups in the past. A lot of girls out here think she's a feminist goddess when it comes to that." 

"What do you mean?"

"You ever read the scandals? I mean no one really looks into them too much anymore, but a few years back she had these brutal breakups. One guy was after her money so she set up a trap to completely humiliate him. He had his underwear over himself, running down the street in the middle of a snowstorm because of how embarrassed he was." 

"Uh, do I want to know what he was so embarrassed about?"

"Let's just say the mating press position and candle wax didn't exactly give him the best rep."

I shudder to think of the chain of events that went down and try to erase it out of my head by thinking of other things. "Okay, so she's basically a psychopath."

"But here's the thing, Ekko. She's calculated. Patient. She ruins guys' lives like nothing and gets praised for doing that kind of stuff all the time. She even makes posts online about things like that. Had a guy break up with you because they liked your sister more? 5 spicy tips on how to get back at him in a week. Make him regret it for the rest of his life. I'm seriously betting it was her that did it."

"All right. What do you think I should do? I can't exactly accuse her of this with nothing to go by, let alone with the fact that I don't even really know if she did it or not."

"You got this, Ekko. I'll try to pull up stuff on my end to help, but I seriously gotta go. Don't fuck up anymore, 'kay? Bye." 

And just like that, she hangs up. I'm scrolling on my feed and find a picture of the group together with the headline being their prolonged stay. Their next concert. 

The group photo is of them pressed up to each other and these slick, sassy smiles on their face. This was more so from Eve and Ahri; their eyes glowed with determination and spark. Akali and Kai'sa were just as determined but had eyes fired up with passion. There were two separate goals in these girls' head. Maybe even more, to be honest. 

But all I could really focus on was on Evelynn. Her fingers draped over Akali's shoulder and her fingers tilting her glasses down. The slight tint of her sunglasses give radiance to her eyes. She had a fire in her eyes that said had a plan for her group, and she was going to do whatever it took to get her and the others' dreams out in the world.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaack! 
> 
> Hello again! ^-^/ I know it's been a while since the last time I updated this story; I got so burnt out then I became uninterested in it. With the new K/DA music coming out, maybe that'll change?? 
> 
> Admittedly my love for League has waned. If I continue the story or make another story concerning K/DA or TD, I will not be adding Seraphine. :)
> 
> I have a few concepts and stories in the works, so I hope they'll be worth a read. Thank you to anyone that continues to read my writing. 💕

You shouldn't ever dive into comments face first. The constant pop-ups of messages that filter on-screen trigger something in the mind.

Ekko wasn't one to reply to messages, but it was hard. He'd never been in the public eye like this before, not even to get dragged.  
Whenever you have something to prove, you get out. It's the only natural thing to do.

Ekko wasn't guaranteed another visit with K/DA; his chance was gone. He couldn't go back a few seconds in time to erase anything either because whatever happened while he was unconscious happened for quite a while. He just has to live with this problem.

  
He left home without a plan. He just had to cool off for a second. He put his headphones on, bopped to the rhythm, and pondered over what he wanted to do next. It was obvious now that K/DA is giving people this idea that Ekko wanted to ride off their fame.

Even if they don't directly say so, people make up theories. That's just how the internet works.

Ekko thought about writing more music out and have his own voice pushed, but he feared that with them taking all the limelight - it wouldn't matter. K/DA dominated. K/DA got what they wanted.

Ekko's mind just rambled.

  
Maybe I can gather up a crew... A crew for what? Maybe I can make a music video that tops K/DA. Well... that's a lot more money than I can even dream to invest in.

  
K/DA was clearly a favorite; they have deals lined up for them.

  
No, that's the wrong way to think. I can't keep thinking about K/DA like this. Not in the way I'm thinking.

  
While he walked down the street, he shuffled his feet to a song, letting it take him away from the headspace for a bit. The song in his ear was soothing but filled with meaning in the words. It made him dance subtly. He had one hand to one side, keeping it upon his head while he bopped further down. Somehow movements can get you really in the zone.

  
He walked across to different blocks, going nowhere as he passed by multiple shops and stores. The smell of food wafted through his senses, creating a different picture in his mind to accommodate his mood with the music. The sugary of the air made him think of brighter colors in a dystopian world full of contradictions.

  
Sometimes he really got into music. He had concepts of music videos flowing through him all the time. The inspiration from his surroundings created new lyrics on his mind that he wanted to transform into a work of art. He didn't like to pander to an audience, but he sure as hell didn't like to drop himself just to be "woke."

  
While he was going by, he got into a verse that just spoke to him. He kind of lost himself in the lyrics.  
"Never fear the fame, all there is in life is playing the game."

  
Sometimes corny lyrics are corny, but if it's said just right with a little oomph, it can be all right. Ekko liked creatives, no matter how amateur. It just had to come from the heart.

  
That being said, he danced his corny ass up right into someone. He tripped and fell right in a tangle with a woman. She had just come out of a restaurant and was apparently waving off to the cashier about the meal.

  
"Dude, holy shit, I'm really sorry," Ekko raised his head up from the pavement and noticed it was a strikingly beautiful black woman. She lifted up her dreads; the sound of her bracelets clicking against each other as she revealed an unamused face. She looked high-class, but she humbled herself by not revealing too much of her fortune.

  
Ekko gulped. He then noticed a shadow looming over him, and it was a tall, black man with a deep scowl on his face. He looked to Ekko then back to his wife. Ekko knew it was his wife because as he reached down to help her up, they exposed their hands to show their wedding rings.

  
"Are you all right you two?" The man asked.

  
"A little fall ain't gonna kill me," the woman replied snarkily.

  
They both looked down at Ekko before they reached down to pull him up. "I know that fall won't kill you either. Watch where you stepping, okay?"

  
Though they both appeared angry, they both had this stern compassion in their eyes. It was the same kind of tenderness that said "you fucked up, but you're not actually a fuck up."

  
"Yeah, you're right. I'm so sorry."

  
"It's okay, kid. No harm done," the woman patted his shoulder and decided for a split second to really look at Ekko. At first, he thought she smudged her finger on his face because she saw something on his face, but then she asked, "I recognize you from somewhere."

"You know him?" The man asked, concerned.

"Not know him. Seen him. You're that one kid who dissed on K/DA, aren't you?"

  
Ekko felt like he got punched in the gut, but he nodded sheepishly. The woman looked like she didn't tolerate bullshit, so he didn't try to bullshit her.

  
"Uh, something like that, yeah."

  
The woman arched her eyebrow with suspicion. "You got fucked over, didn't you?"

  
Ekko was taken aback by this and nearly stammers to explain his case, but she lifts her hand up as if to say "no need."

  
"I know a tampered mix when I hear one. Sounded like a bad case of "fuck you" to me." She laughs in such a way that says that she's seen worse. This was child's play.

  
Ekko chuckled a little in response, unsure of what to say but uneasy to try and test her. He didn't want to push his luck assuming this woman is backing him up just a smidge. 

  
The man beside her was unamused but supportive, wrapping his arm gently around the waist of his wife.

  
"Sorry to hear about the press, kid. I hope thing's get better for you," she says and waves Ekko off, strutting away with her husband to carry on with their day.

  
"Now, hey, wait a minute!" Ekko calls out to her, turning his whole body to make a stance. The woman pauses. She doesn't shift her body but rather she turns her head slightly to listen. 

  
"What's up, kid?"

  
"I'm not no amateur," Ekko's voice had a hint of a growl to it. Something called determination. 

  
"I hear that all the time; you'll learn to move on with your life. Ride it out."

  
"Let me prove it to you!"

  
He takes a step forward and the man makes a quick movement that shows hostility. Ekko doesn't budge or flinch to this gesture and even goes as far as to step right up to the back of the woman. 

  
"I'm warning you right now - you better back off."

  
The woman chuckles and turns herself around with her husband, giving him a peck on the cheek. "I'm not a damsel, Lucian. Don't get your panties in a knot."

  
She turns her attention back to Ekko and gives him a quick head tilt and playful scoff. "I've seen many artists like you, and I know when someone gets played bad. You tryna tell me you can handle the pressure? K/DA isn't a joke."

  
She bends a bit to get on Ekko's level. "Between you and me, we all know why we can't top K/DA. All the deep meaningful messages in our lyrics, all the blood and sweat put into our passion - that's not enough to make people look. In fact, most people don't even want to look."

  
"What you talking about 'we' for? You an artist too?"

  
She shakes her head with a smirk and pulls back. "Yeah, and as you can see, you've never heard of me. I know you. You don't know me. Controversy gets you that far." 

  
The man named Lucian tightly grips the woman's arm with comfort. "Don't think like that; you landed that gig, remember?"

  
"I know, babe, I know. This whole thing... it really fucks with your mental, y'know?"

  
Ekko blinked, thinking about them and thinking up a whole vision. His mind worked fast. His words just needed to catch up.

  
"Let's work together."

  
"Come again?"

  
"I mean it! You're an artist too, right? You sing?"

  
"Yeah, I sing. You don't even know what I sing, kid. Hell, you don't even know my name."

  
"Yeah, but we can make a collaboration. My name's out there, and I'm sure the locals know about you too if you've been around."

  
"Slow down, partner. I'm a single act; I don't work with nobody like that."

  
"That's your problem; you make it far with tons of people behind you."

  
"You talk too much hope," the woman grimaces like the conversation is creepy.

  
"I'm telling you - musicians do that shit all the time. That's why features and gossip articles are talking about why so and so artist did a collab with this artist. It'll look bad because of the things I said, but we can show them they're wrong. Look, I may not know your voice, but I gotta act fast and I gotta work with what I can to make shit right. This shit could get you somewhere too. Put your name farther out. Let me show you what I can do, and if you don't like my sound, the real me, we can go our separate ways. No bad vibes."

  
The woman looked at him like he was crazy. Lucian also looked skeptical. Ekko was crossing his fingers in his mind.

  
He looked to his wife, watching her facial expressions. He was the kind of husband that allowed his wife to be her own person even if he thought differently. Music was more her thing. 

  
"I give you a little mercy, and you just jump on it like a vulture, huh?"

  
"I just know when the vibe is right," Ekko says. 

  
This caused the woman to flinch, and she sighed for that. She waves him off one last time and turns to leave. "You talk a big deal for someone I don't know. If you really want me, you gotta hear my soul. I better see you in the crowd. Name's Senna. 


End file.
